Badging programmes break down barriers and build up students
Kim Thomas, resource teacher, Leadership Capacity Building and School Partnerships with the Peel District School Board, says programs such as the ADaPT and Study Buddy give youth real-world experiences that boost opportunities and help them succeed. Top, istock.com; bottom, supplied
As a mentor and teacher with the Peel District School Board (PDSB) in Ontario, Kim Thomas has worked with children and youth from marginalized and equity-deserving communities for almost 30 years. These students, says Thomas “have faced some of the greatest barriers” in accessing educational opportunities. And while the PDSB “has been very intentional around dismantling anti-Black racism,” she is excited about new program partnerships with corporations and organizations that “open up doors for Black and Indigenous students.” These learning initiatives have the potential to “bring the kids from the back of the line to the front,” says Thomas.
Among these is a partnership with the Diversity Institute (DI) at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and the Future Skills Centre (FSC), It offers “Badging” Programmes for Black and Indigenous students in digital skills, entrepreneurship and tutor training. These innovative pilot programs, offered at TMU’s Brampton Venture Zone and online, provide grade 11 and 12 students in-demand training and access to industry experts with the support of teachers and staff from PDSB and DI. Upon completion, students are awarded a digital “badge” they can post on their resumé, social media and their LinkedIn profile. Carefully designed “wraparound” supports including transportation, paid work placements, startup grants, access to computers, and dedicated coaches and tutors are all part of the recipe for success.
“We looked at demographics and location,” notes Thomas, “reaching out to schools where there was a champion, a guidance counsellor, teacher or principal that would be able to follow up with students.
“It’s a great opportunity because it gives students real-world experience. They are able to dream big and realize they have the capacity to be leaders.”
This is significant, says Thomas, “when we reflect on our target audience of Black and Indigenous youth, who may not have been exposed to this kind of opportunity before. They may have held assumptions that university wasn’t a place for them. They haven’t traditionally been ‘tapped on the shoulder’ to attend training at this level.
“But now they are being told, ‘there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.’”
The partnerships “teach our children that they are not alone, that they are not learning in silos, but that there is a community, a network of people there to support them.
“Whether it is someone in industry, a university professor or a co-ordinator, there’s a whole village of people who are saying: ‘we believe in you, we support you, and we’re going to break down barriers and give you access.’”
“[Black and Indigenous youth] may have held assumptions that university wasn’t a place for them. They haven’t traditionally been ‘tapped on the shoulder’ to attend training at this level.
But now they are being told, ‘there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.’”
The Advanced Digital and Professional Training (ADaPT) program helps students acquire high-demand business skills and sets them up for a summer job placement. The entrepreneurship program builds on research showing entrepreneurship training is not just a pathway to starting a business but strengthens confidence, self-efficacy and employability skills. Students learn how to develop a plan for a business or social enterprise and how to pitch themselves and their ideas with opportunities to access micro business grants. The tutor training program develops knowledge and skills with the opportunity to tutor younger students at the PDSB and in the Study Buddy program. It may also inspire more interest in becoming teachers, helping to address the shortage of Black and Indigenous teachers.
The Study Buddy program was launched by DI and FSC with community groups such as the Lifelong Leadership Institute and Jean Augustine Centre. Research demonstrated learning disruptions caused by the pandemic most severely affected children and youth from equity-deserving communities, students also less likely to have access to supports like tutoring. Working with many partners, Study Buddy has provided about 400 students with 20,000 hours of tutoring and provided 280 tutors, many from colleges of education, with work-integrated learning opportunities.
Thomas says she is very grateful for the investments in these “groundbreaking” programs that really make a difference in the lives of these students. She cherishes her role in “helping these kids navigate the system and advocating for them.
“It’s a beautiful privilege to do this work,” she adds.
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